OOAK Table Tennis Forum

basically - if ball is at right hip, hit backhand, at left hip, hit fh, in between, move and hit fh if possible. Note for anyone else reading: Cobalt is a left-hander!

Thanks for those references, really appreciate your time. Are you saying that if the ball is heading for my middle I should still be trying to move my feet and hit a forehand? I guess it makes sense if I'm good enough, which at the moment I'm not but will have to improve.

Chicken wing I really hate those shots where my bat doesn't turn over as that is what I'd been working on changing and felt I'd made decent improvements in that I can now do a slow spinny backhand loop but these videos show my old habits are still there. I have been hitting many backhand balls long though so I knew that things were going astray. In those videos when I let out a cry of frustration after a miss its not actually the miss itself annoying me but the stroke I've done to make me miss.

With the circles, I can see that I'm doing some of those in the last video I posted from about 12 months ago. I think thats what you mean.

We've got practice tonight so will definitely look to work in that.

_________________
Donic Waldner Senso V1,FH Baracuda Big Slam 2.0mm ,BH Victas Triple Regular 2.0mm

It's a great guideline but for those who are crazy like myself, this is not necessarily true - it comes down to how you choose to defend your middle and is a really a combination of shots that you make based on your distance to the table and with your ability to play the next shot in mind.

_________________
Cobra Kai TT Exponent (Mercy effs up your Game)
One-Loop Man: One Loop... Again????
Lumberjack TT Exponent

"We don't rise to the level of our expectations, we fall to the level of our training" - Archilochus

yip, it's a bit over-simplified, all depends on available time and distance for the middle, as you say. I was also meaning for when someone is looking to attack, not blocking.

But, hitting the ball at the your left hip with your backhand, for a left-hander, is the incorrect shot I am trying to focus on. I find it is easier to set "rules", including for myself, when I am trying to train something in - so that it hopefully carries through in essence into matchplay.

You should be looking for the opportunity to attack (assuming that this is the game you want to play; but it depends on the speed and placing of your last shot, how deep and aggressively your opponent pushes, etc - basically, if you have time.

Think about the tip of your bat accelerating faster than the handle - like throwing a frisbee. At the moment, sometimes your handle continues higher than the tip and you kind of "drag" the ball up. Throwing a frisbee, versus lifting a bucket from between your legs!


good luck...

Tried to work at it last night but no real progress. Will take a bit to change but can get there.

_________________
Donic Waldner Senso V1,FH Baracuda Big Slam 2.0mm ,BH Victas Triple Regular 2.0mm

This kind of thing can take months to years, more so because you are making shots with your current backhand. Per PRW, it's partly an issue of adjusting to the shot but you sometimes play the same backhand when in position. But the first thing that has to happen to change is to commit to taking the same shot over and over, whether you miss or make the shot. I would fix the finishing position as it would fix your stroke path. Look at the better players in your club.

_________________
Cobra Kai TT Exponent (Mercy effs up your Game)
One-Loop Man: One Loop... Again????
Lumberjack TT Exponent

"We don't rise to the level of our expectations, we fall to the level of our training" - Archilochus

There isn't many better at his club. I'd suggest Cobalt umpire matches for the best players he can find at the Ballarat tournament on Sunday. Then he's in the box seat to watch 2 good players at a time.

_________________
I'm always in the dark, but the Dark sheds lights upon everything!! Beauty is only pimple deep! Beauty is in the eye of the pipholder!
S/U 1: Blade: Bty Gergely . FH Black Andro Rasant 2.1 . BH Red Tibhar Grass Dtecs
S/U 2: Blade: Bty Gergely . FH Black Hexer+ 2.1 . BH Red GD Talon
S/U 3: Blade: Bty Gergely . No rubbers...thinking of adding Red Dtecs and Black Rasant
Aussie Table Tennis Shop / Aussie Table Tennis Facebook Page / Equipment Review Index / Read my Reb Report Blog: click here.

Yep the only two better players are in the vids above. Although different, they both have decent backhands. Prw linked me a video of himself which I think is elsewhere on here somewhere. Really like the way he plays.

Sent from my SM-T210 using Tapatalk

_________________
Donic Waldner Senso V1,FH Baracuda Big Slam 2.0mm ,BH Victas Triple Regular 2.0mm

I knew all of that before making my recommendation. Reb just thought I didnt.

_________________
Cobra Kai TT Exponent (Mercy effs up your Game)
One-Loop Man: One Loop... Again????
Lumberjack TT Exponent

"We don't rise to the level of our expectations, we fall to the level of our training" - Archilochus

ok, I have a new theory...
You have lots of tension in your upper arm and shoulder when you play the backhand. The shoulder lifts, and you drag the ball up... if the shoulder stayed down, and the upper arm relaxed, that would enable the wrist and forearm to flow much more easily. The more tension, the more difficult. See how high the shoulder is here?


If you deliberately relax, and keep the shoulders as low as possible (think Neanderthal here), it may help. This is just a theory!

Worth a go. I'm thinking that maybe I don't try hit it too hard. At first just get the ball on with good technique, power will be there later. That's a horrible moment you captured, shows my flaw perfectly. Yuck!!

Sent from my SM-T210 using Tapatalk

_________________
Donic Waldner Senso V1,FH Baracuda Big Slam 2.0mm ,BH Victas Triple Regular 2.0mm

haha - I had more than one option! Pivot your hips, elbow points forward, cock the wrist, pivot around elbow, toss the frisbee.... have a look at Greg's advice here. He always had a very potent, spinny and consistent bh loop. https://youtu.be/35U7lHECzKI?t=351

Elbow forward is probably what I need to do most and perhaps the rest will come. This was evidenced in the video last June.

I know what I should be doing but but often I just don't do it due to an old bad habit. In the last 6 months I've been able to develop a slow spinny loop off backspin on the backhand and that can only be done if I drop the wrist below the table and do the correct swing, so I can do it. Its mainly against topspin and maybe faster balls where I have the issues.

I've also been playing a bit of darts in the shed lately too and have a nasty habit of not following through, just jabbing at the board. Often after one bad throw I tell myself to follow through but again I do the same bad through despite consciously thinking about not doing it. Really frustrating. My wife sees me doing it and says 'you going like this {jab jab jab}'. She's pretty hopeless with her direction but has a better throw than me.

I actually think that tension is the problem there too. When I don't care I do a lot better.

No competition for me tonight as my team has the bye but I do have a tournament on Sunday (same one as Reb) so hope to hit them a bit better.

_________________
Donic Waldner Senso V1,FH Baracuda Big Slam 2.0mm ,BH Victas Triple Regular 2.0mm

shout "frisbeeeeeee!" everytime you hit a backhand loop...